Miguri Ma'ak'tilli

Miguri Ma'ak'tilli is Eris' closest friend, who serves as a confidante throughout her travels. He is a member of the peaceful Claktill species, and is unusual among them for his anger and ability to defend himself. This was a factor in his exile, and he now wanders the stars, serving as a wise and supportive companion for Eris.

Early Life and Exile
Miguri was born on the planet Claktilla 236 years prior to the start of the novel. He had a parent (singular) that cared for him deeply. At some point in life he had multiple children. From an early age Miguri knew that he was different from his people. Claktill were by nature a peaceful people and this made them somewhat of a joke among more warlike species. Miguri was angered at the abuse his people suffered, an emotion not understood by his peers.

Miguri's anger was compounded when the planet Claktilla was attacked by Rakorsian invaders, eager to expand their empire. The Claktill did not resist and fled the Rakorsians in several hundred colony ships. Their beautiful homeworld was blasted into toxic soup. The incident only compounded the anger that Miguri's friends and family could not understand.

The Psilosians came to the aid of the Claktilli species, and gave them colony ships that allowed the species to survive. However wandering the stars offered the Claktill little refuge. Soon Miguri's colony ship was attacked by Ssrisk raiders, who saw the peaceful Claktill as easy prey. Miguri was filled with rage at the thought of his people being abused yet again, and noticed a plasma cannon on board. The Psilosians hadn't thought to uninstall it, considering the Claktilli reputation for nonviolence. Miguri fired directly on the Ssrisk ship, which hadn't even bothered to raise its shields against the defenseless Claktilli. The entire ship was obliterated.

Miguri paid dearly for his act of heroism. Despite having saved his colony, they could no longer bear to look at him due to his violent behavior. The moment the Claktill ship reached a safe system, Miguri was banished.

From there Miguri roamed the stars. He missed his family deeply, and still thought of them fondly despite his exile. He expressed an interest in reconciling with them one day. He wandered the galaxy for a while until he was eventually captured by another Ssrisk ship.

Meeting With Eris
Miguri spent an unknown length of time aboard the Ssrisk ship as a captive. Others were taken captive alongside him, but in time they all perished. When he first encountered Eris, he was frightened of her, mistaking her for a Rakorsian due to the genetic similarities. Once a Ssrisk guard named Grashk adjusted her lamri, Eris and Miguri were able to communicate. Despite her youth, Miguri found Eris compassionate, intelligent and endearing. He educated her on many important aspects of the galaxy, and found a fellow exile to bond with.

Miguri shared with Eris the history of his people, and helped her adjust to her first Pull. In time they were brought before Captain Hroshk, the commander of the Ssrisk vessel. Miguri learned of his fate once the ship reached Ssriss - he would be sold as a Ssrisk pet. When he showed fear at this, Hroshk ordered him electrocuted for his cowardice. Eris protested, but Tarsis blasted Miguri's leg with an electric rod. Miguri was taken back to his cell, where Eris helped to heal him as best she could. To relax him, Eris asked Miguri to tell him more about his home planet. Soon Miguri's leg was nearly healed, helped along by the impressive Claktilli recovery rate.

A Reluctant Rescue
The friends were interrupted by a shaking noise that rocked the ship. Fearing a raider had boarded, Miguri hoped that the Ssrisk would emerge victorious. Miguri and Eris escaped their cells and saw that a paralysis gas had been released, which paralyzed all Ssrisk on board. They were intercepted by a helmeted raider, who pointed a striker at them and forced them to come with him. Tarsis intervened and the raider blasted him with the striker. Grashk attacked the group next, and after a prolonged battle with the raider, was knocked out. The raider took Miguri and Eris to his ship, which was attached to the Ssrisk vessel. The raider detatched the ship and they fled the Ssrisk. At around this time Miguri developed a sneaking suspicion about the nature of the person who had "rescued" them.

Though the Ssrisk chased after the raider's ship, he was able to outmaneuver them. While the raider engaged the ship's lamri, he had Eris use the ship's weapon controls and had Miguri pilot the ship. The raider eventually Pulled, narrowly escaping the Ssrisk. He then revealed himself as a Rakorsian mercenary, exactly as Miguri had feared. He introduced himself as Varrin Gara'dar, an IFTAP agent tasked with freeing the Ssrisk prisoners and returning them home. Miguri had met his share of Rakorsians and was loathe to trust one. Much to his displeasure, Eris did not share his mistrust, and she quickly grew close to the Rakorsian mercenary.

Miguri spent much of the next few days warning his friend that Varrin could not be trusted. Eventually his fears came true and Eris developed a romantic interest in Varrin. This led to an awkward situation when Miguri assumed that Eris had been "dallying with the Rakorsian". Eris tried to assure Miguri that they had only kissed, when Varrin emerged and announced that he was no longer taking them to IFTAP. He had received a higher offer from Chakra Corporation, well known for their use of slaves for mine work and medical experimentation. They were particularly interested in obtaining a human specimen, and Varrin had thown Miguri in as part of the deal. Eris broke down and apologized for her mistake, but Miguri assured her that he had made plenty of them as well. When Varrin approached them later with dinner, Miguri made a desperate escape attempt, which Varrin easily foiled. Three days later, they arrived at Alpha Centauri Prime.

Chakra Corp
Miguri and Eris were led through the crowded marketplace of Alpha Centauri Prime, and Miguri took the opportunity to answer Eris' questions about her first time on an alien planet. He also cautioned her not to act on her hostility towards Varrin, as it would only end badly for them both. Miguri and Eris were taken to a storefront where they met with the Chakra Corp representative, Alyra. Alyra led the group to Chakra Corp's Research and Development Department, where she handed them off to Doctor T, a Triila who took them to their cells. The following morning a group of scientists arrived to begin their tests. One made the mistake of assuming Miguri was a pacifist like all other Claktilli, and Miguri promptly bit him. He and Eris briefly tried to escape, but was spotted by Doctor T. The Triila had Miguri restrained and revealed that it was interested in studying humans due to their Rakorsian ancestry, and it separated Eris from Miguri. While Eris had her brain temporarily removed, Miguri was left with Doctor T and subjected to a host of terrible experiments.

Miguri spent the next ten days as a test subject at Chakra Corp. While Eris began to slip into madness, Miguri was already nearly there. When Eris tried to keep his spirits up, Miguri revealed the reason behind his exile. Eris reassured him that he couldn't blame himself for being heroic, and Miguri's mood improved. They were interrupted by a power outage, and the pair quickly escaped their cells. They were met by the same member of Chakra Corp who gave them over to Doctor T - Alyra.

Alyra revealed that she was an undercover IFTAP agent, and she only surrendered them to Doctor T as part of an elaborate rescue attempt. Miguri fled the Chakra Corp building with Alyra and Eris, and they left for Gorge City. From there they received clearance to depart for Psilos. Miguri learned that Alyra had arranged for the prisoners to be transfered to Psilos, but this was a ruse. Miguri would be taken to a Claktill ship once they arrived on Psilos, and Eris would be returned home.

Vega Minor
Miguri and Eris bonded with Alyra as they headed towards Psilos. As Alyra prepared to Pull from Alpha Centauri, the ship was suddenly rocked. Miguri and Eris were soon surprised by Varrin, who had locked onto Alyra's ship, boarded and knocked her out. Varrin revealed his new allegiance to IGASA and his plan to rescue them from a Chakra Corp representative. Miguri and Eris tried to explain that Alyra was smuggling them home in secrecy, but Varrin insisted on taking them to Psilos himself, to "liberate them" and ensure he got his finder's fee. Left with no choice, Miguri and Eris left with him.

Miguri watched as Eris grew furious with Varrin for betraying them and then capturing them again. After Eris left, Varrin asked Miguri for clarity on the situation - he genuinely didn't understand how Eris could still be mad at him. Miguri was disgusted by Varrin's immoral behavior, and offered little help. The following morning Miguri learned that the Nonconformity was no longer destined for Psilos, but for a place Varrin referred to as "a surprise". Miguri feared the worst, but the ship wound up landing on Vega Minor, a planet known for its beauticians. They encountered a Scalkan gang upon arrival, but Varrin quickly defeated them. Miguri was then given a new wardrobe when Varrin took him and Eris shopping. More importantly, Varrin paid for a skilled hairstylist to regrow Eris' hair.

The crew's plans to leave Vega were complicated when a news report revealed that he was a wanted criminal, and he'd been spotted on Vega Minor. They decided to lay low on Vega Minor for a while and stay at the Starlight, a well-known hotel. En route they encountered one of the Scalkans from before, who was intent on revenge. He produced a Jsgarn, a ravenous beast that was the natural enemy of the Claktill. Miguri collapsed into a near-catatonic state, a natural Claktilli reaction to the Jsgarn. As such, he was little use in the resulting fight, when Varrin killed the Jsgarn and Scalkan, but was badly injured in the process.

Eris managed to get both Varrin and Miguri to the Starlight. En route Miguri recovered from his severe shock at seeing the Jsgarn, and he helped concoct Eris' cover story - though Eris was not pleased when it involved her pretending to be Varrin's mistress. Miguri and Eris were shown to their rooms while Varrin received medical treatment from the Starlight's doctors. Varrin was soon returned to them, but he would need to spend the next several days recovering. Miguri decided to take the opportunity to explore Vega Minor, one of the galaxy's main trade routes, to seek out any information he could on the whereabouts of his family. He was reluctant to leave Eris alone with Varrin, but Eris assured Miguri that she could handle the Rakorsian in his drugged state.

Miguri spent the next few days searching Vega Minor for news about his family. He found no leads, but was able to send out a general transmission. If anybody searched his name, they would receive a message saying that he was alive and well. Miguri then enjoyed the rest of his stay at the Starlight, and checked out once Varrin had healed.

At this point Miguri learned that Chakra Corp had placed his and Eris' names on the Wanted list, to aid in their recapture. Varrin revealed that he couldn't take Miguri and Eris to Psilos because of this, and IFTAP was no longer interested in buying them. Before the group could decide what to do next, they came under attack.

Visit to Earth
The attackers were soon revealed to be Rakorsian. Miguri deduced that Varrin was the exiled prince of Rakor and decided to help him flee the attackers. He was then introduced to Admiral Kratis, who had been assigned by the Emperor to bring Varrin home. Varrin initiated a dangerous Pull and the group narrowly escaped. The ship was damaged and the group was in need of a place to hide while Varrin repaired the engines. Eris suggested they hide on earth, since it was protected by the Tetrarchy, but Varrin's ship would go undetected. They Pulled towards Earth, and Miguri found himself headed to his friend's home planet.

The Nonconformity landed on Earth, and Eris left to get supplies while Varrin repaired the engines. Miguri remained on board with Varrin, since he would be an alarming sight to any human. Soon Miguri and Varrin learned that Kratis was closing in on Earth. Not wanting him to discover the planet (and knowing what the Rakorsians had done to Claktilla) Varrin and Miguri headed off to find Eris to help stop Kratis. Varrin hid the Nonconformity in a storm cloud and they noticed Eris talking to her dean in his office. With no time to lose, Miguri opened the hatch outside the dean's window, and told Eris about the situation. The sight of Miguri caused the dean to faint, but Miguri was able to get Eris aboard. With that they left Earth to go stop Kratis.

Battling the Rakorsians
Miguri and Varrin developed a battle plan. Varrin and Eris would sneak aboard Kratis' ship to disable his comm interrupter and contact the Psilosians for help. Miguri would attack the Rakorsian ship piloting the Nonconformity as a decoy. The plan was complicated when Varrin learned that Captain Hroshk's Ssrisk ship was also in the area, and appeared to have allied with Kratis. They proceeded as planned regardless, and Miguri was left alone on the Nonconformity. When Kratis contacted the ship, Miguri lied and said that Varrin was off getting drunk. Kratis decided to board the Nonconformity to take Varrin by force, and Miguri steered the Nonconformity into battle.

Miguri put up a good fight, but the Nonconformity's shields finally gave out. At that point he was contacted by Captain Hroshk, and he managed to plant seeds of doubt in Hroshk's mind that Kratis would honour their alliance. Hroshk then offered Miguri a chance to go free if he revealed Eris and Varrin's true location. Miguri saw through the lie, but admitted they were aboard the Rakorsian ship already. Miguri was captured by a Ssrisk boarding party and Hroshk began to attack Kratis.

Miguri was forcefully recruited to Sak-tak's boarding party and taken to the Ssrisk strategy room. He tried to provide the Ssrisk as little information as he could get away with, when Rakorsians attacked and killed the entire boarding party. Miguri survived by hiding under a table and later intercepted a transmission coming from Sak-tak's belt. He informed the Ssrisk that Sak-tak's party was dead, and he was ordered to report to Grashk's party. Figuring his chances were better with the Ssrisk he knew, Miguri tried to communicate his position to Eris, but failed. He joined up with Grashk's party, and they boarded Kratis' ship.

Miguri and Grashk located Eris just as she was being taken to be executed by Kratis' troops. Miguri was elated to see his friend again, and he informed her of his temporary alliance with the Ssrisk. He then learned that Varrin had betrayed him and Eris yet again. Miguri admitted to the Ssrisk that they planned to disable the comm interrupter and contact the Psilosians for help, since he and Eris desperately needed help completing their mission. Grashk agreed to help and they made their way to the comm deck. When Grashk disabled the comm interrupter, he triggered an alarm, attracting more Rakorsians. Most of the Ssrisk were killed fighting off the attacking Rakorsians, and Grashk was knocked unconscious. Eris and Miguri were captured again, and taken to Execution Room B.

In the execution room, Miguri watched as Kratis and Hroshk renewed their tenuous alliance. Kratis agreed to help Hroshk obtain another human captive, and Hroshk agreed to allow Kratis to keep Varrin. Hroshk was then invited aboard the Rakorsian ship to watch Miguri and Eris' execution. At this point Eris broke down over the experience. Miguri convinced her to accept her fate with her head held high, but at that moment they were rescued by Varrin. After speaking with Fino'jin he'd had a change of heart, so he arrived to save them.

Miguri watched the ensuing standoff, where Hroshk shot Kratis in a moment of rage. Varrin used his rank of prince to order the Rakorsians in the room to attack Hroshk, while he freed Eris and Miguri. Miguri could do little during the remainder of the fight, as Varrin battled Hroshk and the Ssrisk nearly succeeded in killing Eris. In retaliation Eris shot Hroshk in the chest, ending his threat to the heroes.

Miguri, Eris and Varrin decided to head back to the escape pod, since the Nonconformity was still aboard the Ssrisk cruiser. They brought Grashk with them, as thanks for his help earlier. The pod was gone, but the group was able to take advantage of Grashk's status as commander of the Ssrisk vessel in light of all the superior officers' deaths. They planned to find another ship to board the Ssrisk vessel and rescue the Noncoformity. They were briefly interrupted by Fino'jin, who Varrin defeated with a knock-out disc. After arriving at the Rakorsian docking bay and defeating the guards there, Miguri and his friends escaped Kratis' ship. Their victory was interrupted by the Psilosian vessel, which had finally arrived.

Captain Hm'Dala and the Psilosians contacted the Rakorsian ship, and Miguri was reunited with Alyra. Miguri was discouraged when he learned that the Psilosians planned to return him to a Claktill colony and they intended to mind-wipe Eris. Grashk ordered the Ssrisk to attack the Psilosians, giving the group time to escape. Eris suggested the group hide on the far side of Saturn, so the planet's magnetic fields would skew the Psilosians' sensors. The plan succeeded, and the ship headed back to Earth.

Second Visit to Earth
Miguri was saddened by his friend's impending departure. Eris confided in Miguri that she wasn't entirely happy about returning home, and Miguri was unsure of what to say. When they arrived on Earth, Eris gave Miguri a heartfelt thanks for all his help. Miguri hoped that someday he could see his friend again and bid her goodbye. He waited on the ship with Grashk while Varrin walked Eris back to her dormitory.

When Varrin returned to the ship alone, Miguri learned some troubling news. Varrin had abruptly proposed to Eris, and he was hurt and angry that she had refused him. Miguri found the Rakorsian's decision foolish, and was greatly annoyed when Varrin started moping in the engine room and ranting about what had happened. Miguri was elated when he received a transmission the next morning from Eris, who wished to return to the ship to speak with Varrin. Eris was worried that the ship had left already, but Miguri assured her that they were still in the clearing. Eris returned to the ship and repaired her relationship with Varrin, deciding to leave Earth behind for good. With that Miguri departed the planet alongside his friends.

Epilogue
The crew's next goal was to reclaim the Nonconformity from the Psilosians. Miguri was pleased to have his friend back, but was discouraged by yet another of Varrin's reckless plans. A news report revealed that Varrin, along with everyone else on board, were still wanted criminals. Miguri noticed the promise pendant that Eris was wearing, and had the awkward duty of clarifying to her its meaning. By accepting the pendant, by Rakorsian customs, Eris had become Varrin's wife.